Invalid-bedstead



(No Model.)

A. S. EVANS.

INVALID BEDSTEAD.

Patented May 9, 1882.

mum/1 INVBNT DR.

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES:

4o winding drum.

. UNITED STATES PATENT @FHQEQ YmvA-uo-BEDsTEAD.

ANNIE S. EVANS, ()F KING S'FQN, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,483, dated May 9,1882.

Application tllnd septcinber i6, 188]. (No model.) V d of an inexpensive couch, bed,or; chair adapted to be placed upon ordi nary-bedstends, bymean s of which sick and infirmpcrsonsmaybe easily and comfortablyraised and supported in dif; ferent postures,.t he device having such. con

struction that it, maybe folded into small compass for conyenience in transportation and I stowing away whennot in. use.

My invention consists principally of a di .vided; and hingcd hammock-like couch, bed

or chair-bottom placed upon hing-edknees, lower ends of which-knees rest uponand are hinged to the main base or side boards, the

hammock-like bottom being adapted to be .raised or1owv.ered,,to -snit thedesire of thepu; 'tient, by means of straps passing over awind ing-drum. v j I The invention also consists in thc combina tion, with thehammock-likebottom, supported, and adapted to be operated asjust described, of an elevated table or leaf at the foot of the device; and, also, of the details of construc- 0 tion and of the arrangementand combinations of parts, as hereinaften described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

5 in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with a part of the table broken away to clearly show the Fig. 3 is a side elevation, showing the bed-bottom let down for supporting the patientin ahorizontal position. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detailed views, showing amodified form of the bed-bottom, and Fig. 7 is a 5 perspective view of one of the knees removed base or side boards, upon which the bottom A is supported by means of the knee-pieces O O weightot' the person on the cross -pieces or V straps c c, .which form thesupport for the pen son; and the knee-pieces O, at thehead ot' the couch bed, or chair-bottom, maybe longer than the knee-pieces G (has shown in Fig. 1, or they may be of about the same length and made extensible, as showi clearlyiin Fi 6, for elevating and inclining section K of the bottom higher. than the'chair-section K when the hammock-like bottom is raised from the "position shown in Fig. 3 (which shows the knees folded back upon the baseboards BB ,to make the bottom horizontal for supporting the patient incumbently) to that shown in Fig. l, for use as a chair or rccliningcouch, the

hingesc c permitting this elevation and inclination of the said section. p

For easily raising and lowering the bed or chajr-bottolnA without jarring or, otherwise inconveniencing the patient, Iprovidethedevice with the winding axle or drum E, over which the straps or connections I) b, which are connected to the rear ends of the bars a a, pass. This axle or drum is journaled in the vertical side boards, F F, and is provided at one end of its journal or shaft with the large cog-wheel 9, into which meshes the pinion g, whichis fixed upon the crank-shaft i. The outer face of the large cog-wheel is provided with the ratchetj, with which the pawl J engages for preventing accidental backward movement of the drum.

Ifthe plain or non-extensible knees 0 shown in Fig. 1 are to be used, I hinge upon the upper side of the bars a a the auxiliary frame or support D, which forms the back when the device is to be used as a chair, and which may be adjusted to different angles or inclinations, to suit the patient, by means of the braces d d, hinged to the bars 01 d, composing the aux iliary frame, the lower ends of which braces are adapted to engage with the notches f f, made in the upper sides of the bars a a. The outer ends of bars d d are tied together by the tie-rod k, as shown in Fig. 2. In this construction the auxiliary frame is made to carry the cross-straps c 0,- but it the extensible knee shown in Fig. 4 is to be used this frame 1) is dispensed with, and the cross-straps 0 c are carried by the side bars a a. The extensible knees'are formed by making the longitudinal slots 0 in the knee-pieces O and providing the same with the notched bar H, which is provided with the headed studs n n, which move in the slots 0, the upper end of the notched plates being provided with the upper hinges, the knee-pieces being provided in the, proper place with the spring-actuated pawl or dog N, which engages with the notches of the plate H as it is raised or lowered toadjust the section K, and serves to support the section at any inclination for holding the patient in a sitting, reclining, semi-reclining, or incumbent position, as desired.

In order to support the limbs of the patient in different positions for greater comfort and rest, I provide the bars a a of the seat-section K with the adjustable hinged frame E, which is composed of the bars h It and the hinged braces h h, the lower ends ot'which are adapted to engagewith the notchesff inthe upper sides of the bars a a, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When this frame is used the cross-straps 0 c are attached to the bars h h; but when it is not used the said cross-straps are attached to the bars a a, as shown in Fig. 4.

Upon the top of the upright side pieces F F is placed the board G, to which is hinged the leaf I, which may be turned out, so as to be in convenient position in front of the patient when used as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, or tipped back upon the board G out of the way when not in use, as shown in dotted lines in the said figure.

It will be observed that in raising the couch, bed, or chair-bottom from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in. Fig. 1, where the knees C O and 0 stand vertical, the patient will be carried forward near to and partly under the table, thus rendering the table particularly convenient and serviceable.

The vertical side boards F F are made wider at the bottom than at the top, as shown in the drawings, to act as braces to lessen the strain at the point where they stand upon the 'the base B and the side bars of the hinged sections K K, of the knees G G, hinged to the said side bars and base, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2., In an in valid-couch, the combination, with the base B, the winding-drum E, and the cord or strap b, of the hinged sections K K and the knees G C, hinged to the side bars of the said sections and to the base, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' 3. In aninvalid-couch, the combination, with the side bars, a a, of the hinged sections K, provided with notches f, of the hinged footrest E'and' the braces h, hinged to the end of the side barsof the said foot-rest, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a'n invalid-couch,theeombination, with the base B and the hinged section K, of the knees 0, hinged to the base and provided with the adjustable sliding bar H, hinged to the said section, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an i-nvalid-couclnthe combination, with the base B and the hinged section K, of the knee 0, provided with the slot 0, and the spring-dog N, and the notched bar H, pro-. vided with the headed studs 72, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ANNIE SOPHIA EVANS. Witnesses:

G. W. MAXWELL, J. STAFFORD KIRKPATRICK. 

